A second relief convoy, consisting of 14 trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies, entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing late yesterday, followed by another 20-truck convoy today. The UN Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported yesterday that the 14-truck convoy was the equivalent of 3% of the daily average volume of commodities entering Gaza prior to the hostilities. It cited UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths as saying that the convoy was “another small glimmer of hope for the millions of people in dire need of humanitarian aid. But they need more, much more.”
The OCHA report estimates that there are about 1.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Gaza, with nearly 580,000 sheltering in 150 UNRWA-designated emergency shelters. Overcrowding is a growing concern, as the average number of IDPs per shelter has reached more than 2.5 times their designated capacity.
